A recent report by the Arton Capital Passport Index has named South Africa in the top 50 of the world’s most powerful passports.
Picture: Getaway Gallery
Arton Capital’s index is the only real-time global ranking of the world’s passports, updated as frequently as new visa waivers and changes are implemented.
South Africa ranked 46th on the overall power rank, due to the fact that citizens can travel to 65 countries visa-free, and 43 countries only require a “visa-on-arrival”.
The SA passport has a mobility score of 108 in the global rankings which puts it in third place on Africa’s most powerful passports after Seychelles and Mauritius.
Certain countries were tied for the mobility score and the slight differences depended on whether the passport holder can travel visa-free or is required to obtain a “visa-on-arrival”.
The top five most powerful visas in the world are:
- The United Arab Emirates with a mobility score of 173, a passport holder can travel to 181 countries visa-free, with 59 countries requiring a “visa-on-arrival”.
- Germany, Sweden, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria and South Korea all have a mobility score of 174. Some of these countries are in the Schengen Area, which signifies a zone where 26 European countries removed their internal borders for the free unrestricted movement of citizens, resulting in the Schengen Visa.
- Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom, Ireland, United States of America, and New Zealand. These countries have a mobility score of 173, with passport holders able to travel between 127 to 117 countries visa-free.
- Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Japan and Australia. These countries have a mobility score of 172, with their passports allowing them to travel between 59 to 48 countries which require “visa-on-arrival”.
- Singapore, Malta, Lithuania, Slovakia and Canada. These countries have a mobility score of 171, with passport holders able to travel to 131 countries visa-free, while 50 countries require “visa-on-arrival”.
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